Moore County was created with the division of Cumberland County, and was officially recognized by the North Carolina Legislature on July 4th in 1784. However, the problem was there wasn’t an incorporated town to serve as the county seat, and there wasn’t a spot in which to hold court. A committee was appointed by the Legislature to come up with a site for the new county seat and a site was chosen close to the center of the county. The identity bounced between Faginsville and Carthage, but was officially changed by the State Legislature in 1814 to Carthage.

The first courthouse was constructed in 1785, until that time court was being held in Kenchion Kitchen’s home as well as the homes of the other area residents. The new courthouse was described as “a rather crude log building, small in size.” The town was not laid out until 1803 and Carthage did not become official until 1804. In 1814, the courthouse was moved to the current location of the historic courthouse at the intersection of the main avenues of Carthage. In 1820, the courthouse was replaced by a two-story wooden structure, with a space beneath to be used as a marketplace. In 1840, a two-story brick courthouse was built with four offices on the ground floor and a courtroom on the second floor. There was also a jail cell in the courtroom that allowed the prisoners to be conveniently available to the judge. On September 5th, 1889 the brick courthouse burned and over 100 years of county records were destroyed including the 1889 tax books and records.

Because of a floor collapse and several fires the courthouse was replaced five times. A bond was passed on January 16th, 1922 that allowed $150,000 for the construction of our fifth and current historical courthouse. In August the cornerstone was laid, the courthouse was constructed entirely of Indiana Limestone and was dedicated on September 17th, 1923. When the courthouse was finished it was described as “crowning the dominating ridge, visible against the blue haze of the pines over the rolling Sandhills country.” The sixth courthouse and government building was erected across the street, leaving the historic fifth courthouse in the circle. Today both the fifth and the sixth courthouses serve as government offices and court facilities.

In 1855, Alexander Kelly and Thomas Tyson founded the Tyson Jones Buggy Factory. They made the “Cadillac” of the horse-drawn buggy. The factory brought prosperity to Carthage. The buggy-manufacturing factory reached its peak in 1890, turning out about 3,000 vehicles a year. The growth in Carthage from the 1850s to the 1920s was due to the successful buggy manufacturing industry. Unfortunately, the invention of the automobile spelled doom for the buggy company.

The Buggy Festival is held each year in Carthage to honor the town’s heritage as home of one of the world’s former foremost carriage makers.

The town of Carthage boasts 1,800 residents and the National Historic District of Carthage is proud to have over fifty buildings and residences of historical significance. Carthage is one of the fastest growing towns in our county, with an 80% population increase from 1990 to 1998.